Byrne Tony Byrne

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When a Wiki package gets too real

21-Jul-2008

Tags: Enterprise Collaboration & Social Software, Marketplace at Large, Selecting Technology, MediaWiki, Socialtext

In talking to wiki users, we find a wide range of sophistication. Some are quite content with the simplistic "edit this page" features you can now find in most Web CMS and Social Software suites, while other customers seek more advanced features (such as topical refactoring and advanced aggregation and print services) that constitute for them a "real" wiki.

And then there are those who cut their teeth editing Wikipedia pages or learned about wikis by using the earliest tools. They come with a particular set of expectations -- especially around using good old fashioned "Wikitext" mark-up -- that today are met largely through the MediaWiki platform, the same tool that powers Wikipedia.

As Enterprise Social Software Report readers know, MediaWiki tends to find favor among wiki purists, but is often perceived as too arcane by novice users. Here's a nice summary of some relevant issues by consultant Dan Katz. (Thanks to Janus for the link.)

I'm more sanguine about open source wiki options and less enthusiastic about Socialtext than Katz, but he makes some very good points regardless of the tool you select. The key for you the customer is, as always, to test with "real" users before you deploy...

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